Ben Long
Methodically constructed, artist Ben Long’s sculptures express the ideas of discovery, adaptability and semi-permeability through medium. His choice of everyday materials, primarily scaffolding, come from his influence by American minimalism and the motivation to create art that appeals to multiple audiences. Though the sculptural designs appear contradictory of the strict material and often the design themselves, these modular systems are fully capable of capturing the being of organic forms whilst staying true to the temporary nature of scaffolding as Long recycles each sculpture to craft the next.
Since graduating from Camberwell College of Arts, London (2001), Long’s practice is a continual development of his early urban work, carving 2D images into the dirt of truck shutters. These drawings were temporary and vulnerable, the shutters acting as frames with the basics of drawing and painting rooted in his practice. Long has recently created a scaffolding sculpture as the centrepiece for the exhibition ‘The Dog: A Celebration at Chatsworth’ (2019) at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. Other shows include ‘Camera Lucida’, Das Weisse Haus, Vienna (2019), ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’, 201 Bishopsgate, London (2016), ‘Absence of Logic’, Despacio, San José, Costa Rica (2016) and ‘Work Scaffolding Sculpture’, 30 St Mary Axe, London (2014).
Recent selected exhibitions and commissions are as follows:
2022 — Beam, a 15m tall permanent sculptural commission for Nyköpings kommun, Sweden.
2022 — BA Long AB or: All in a Good Day’s Work, solo exhibition, Domeji Gallery, Stockholm.
2022 — OpenArt 2022